A Blanket For a Demigod
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: The Golden Fleece has been stolen, and Annabeth and Clarisse are sent after it. AnnabethxClarisse femslash.
1. Summoned

_**LbN: PJO came in second on the poll, so I'll be working on this fic as well as the Alice in Wonderland one. Just for quick reference: Annabeth is 18 and Clarisse is 20 in this story. Happy reading!**_

Annabeth stopped suddenly when she walked out of her school's auditorium. She hadn't expected any of her friends from Camp to come to her graduation—they were busy at Camp already—so she was shocked to see Clarisse talking with her dad. Both waved at her as she approached.

Her dad came forward to hug her. "I'm so proud of you," he said. "Here," he said, handing her a small box. "Wait until you've gotten to Camp to open it. Now, your mother's asked to see you. I'll see you when you come home in September." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and waved at Clarisse.

"How's my favorite teacher?" Annabeth asked with a smirk.

"I am a Battle Instructor, _thank you_," Clarisse said, rolling her eyes. "The car's this way."

Annabeth laughed and followed her out to a blue 2010 Camero. "Nice!"

"Don't get too attached," Clarisse said. "It's Apollo's. He's just letting me borrow it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your bodyguard, Smartass. I've got to make sure you make it to Olympus without getting kidnapped or killed." She managed to get them on the road before the swarm of students and their families rushed to their cars.

"Okay, the world's about to end, right?" Annabeth said. "I haven't needed a bodyguard in two years. Mom hasn't asked to see me since I rebuilt Olympus."

"I love how you say you rebuilt it, like you were raising the columns yourself," Clarisse said, grinning.

"Fine, _redesigned_. Anyway, I'm randomly getting summoned, Apollo's lending out his fleet, and Mr. D's letting you skip work so you can make sure I don't get abducted? Something's gone to shit somewhere, hasn't it?"

"I wish I knew," Clarisse shrugged. "But you'll have to let me know when you find out. Seatbelt on?"

"We've been driving for five minutes and now you ask?" Annabeth laughed.

"Well, we're not going be driving for much longer." Clarisse shifted gears, and a second later they were traveling jet fast into the clouds.

Annabeth had forgotten how terrifying Apollo's cars were. Thankfully, they were landing on a golden pillar not ten minutes later. She stumbled a bit getting out of the car, but Clarisse caught her around the waist. "Thanks."

"You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm really glad he doesn't design roller coasters…"

Clarisse laughed and they made their way into the hall of Zeus.

* * *

Clarisse wondered, briefly, were her father was. She figured she didn't have anything to worry about (this time), since most of the gods were missing. Only Zeus, Hera, Athena and Apollo were present.

"Thank you for bringing her safely, Clarisse," Athena said.

Clarisse smiled and bowed slightly, but stayed quiet.

"You may go and see your father now," Zeus said.

Clarisse hesitated slightly, glancing at Annabeth. But she nodded and started to walk down the hall to the right. She hadn't made it very far when Zeus called her.

"I've informed Mr. D that you'll be taking the summer off," he said, in a carrying voice. "You'll be continuing your duties as Annabeth's bodyguard."

"Yes, my lord Zeus," she said, and continued down the hall. Really, she wasn't that unhappy about being allowed to cut work at Camp to hang out with Annabeth, but she knew she was about to catch hell from…

"Bodyguard? Isn't that what the satyrs are for?"

Clarisse sighed as she leaned against the doorframe of her father's lounge. "They probably think I'll do a better job," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Ares said nothing to this. He spun back toward his wall of TVs and continued watching the fighting in Iraq. "Come here."

She walked to stand next to him, and looked up at the screens. Her brothers and sisters were either running around the dessert or flying. Either way, they were all kicking ass and taking names.

"Built for the battlefield, every one of you. Is there a reason you're the only one who resists that fact?"

"I don't resist it at all. An instructor is just as important as the warrior," Clarisse said, trying to stay calm. It wouldn't do to blow up within the first two minutes of talking to her father.

"Hmmm…" Ares said, standing. "I suppose, since I know you'll be babysitting for a while, I can give you your birthday present now. I know it was three months ago," he said at Clarisse's look of confusion.

She laughed. "Are you going to let me choose?"

"Why in Tartarus would I do that?" he asked, pulling a black backpack out of a chest. He slid a panel to the side, revealing a wall with enough weapons to make any army general salivate. "New wrist guards, and Under Armour. Olympian Under Armour—you can't get this kind at WalMart. Oh, and here." He tossed a book into the backpack.

"What's that?" Clarisse asked.

"A special copy of The Iliad. Do me a favor—don't open it unless you are really, _really_, in trouble."

Clarisse gave him a Look, but nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. Just don't embarrass me further by letting your girlfriend get killed."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Because you've been lacking in courage lately and haven't asked her, not because you don't want her to be."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Don't suppose you could tell me what all this is about?" she asked, nodding toward the throne room.

"You're familiar with the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

"Yes."

"The Golden Fleece was an offering to me, initially, but once Jason recovered it, it went to Athena. It's been stolen."

"Are you joking?" Clarisse asked. "All this for a blanket?"

"Hades stole it."

"Fu—I mean, crap," Clarisse amended. Even she wasn't brazen enough to curse in front of a god. "Not again."

"We don't know why he wanted it, but it's offensive that he thinks he can get away with this. Annabeth's going to be searching for it. I'd get back if I were you. Don't want to be late for your nanny duties."

Clarisse smirked. "Thank you, Dad."

He glared at her. He hated the term.

She smiled, bowed, and walked out of the lounge.

Annabeth was waiting for her by the elevator, holding her graduation present. "Apollo needs the car, so we're on our own getting back to Camp."

"This is going to be an interesting summer…"

_**LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews!**_


	2. Gifts

**A Blanket for a Demigod**

"So what did Ares give you?" Annabeth asked after they'd gotten off the bus. They'd spent the ride in silence. The bus had been rather full, so they hadn't been able to talk, even in code.

"Some new armor and a book."

"A book?"

"It's _The Iliad_, but apparently something's special about it. I'm not supposed to use it unless we're screwed."

"Well let's hope we don't have to. Hey, something's about to fall out of your bag." She caught it before it hit the ground. It was a credit card, wrapped in a piece of paper. She handed it to Clarisse, who read the note.

"Don't show this to your brothers or they'll all want one. It's a credit card," she told Annabeth. "It's got no limit, but don't go crazy…" she trailed off.

Annabeth, getting the feeling that there was more to the note, asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Clarisse said smiling and sticking the card in her wallet. "Let's keep moving."

They walked through the woods, throwing speculations back and forth over why Hades would want the Golden Fleece. They were almost to the camp now, and they hadn't come up with a good solution.

"It's not like it's a powerful weapon, like the Lightning Bolt was," Clarisse said. "It's just supposed to give whatever land it's in good luck, or whatever."

"Right," Annabeth said. "Maybe—"

"Shh!" Clarisse said suddenly.

Annabeth stopped and listened. Something was moving in the trees. She saw Clarisse take two throwing stars out of her jacket pocket. All she had was her graduation gift from her dad, which she guessed was not a weapon. She froze, battle tense, as the noise got louder.

A second later, Percy Jackson stumbled out of the trees. "Hey Annabeth!" he said, running up to hug her.

Annabeth laughed, relaxing.

"Geez, Jackson!" Clarisse griped. "I almost decapitated you!"

"Not my fault you're paranoid," Percy snapped back.

"I'm her bodyguard," Clarisse said. "It's my job to be on alert, thanks."

"You're almost to the Camp boundaries, take a chill pill."

"See? This is why you were always getting ambushed."

"That and the fact that your dad has a grudge against me—"

"Enough!" Annabeth said above them. "Let's get back to Camp."

The three of them walked quietly the rest of the way. When they entered the Camp's boundaries, both Clarisse and Percy made as if to walk Annabeth to her cabin.

"Something we can help you with?" Percy asked.

"_We _have plans to discuss," Clarisse said.

"What kind of plans?" Percy asked. He didn't sound scornful now, just curious.

"I've been given another quest," Annabeth told him. "I think this one's kind of on the DL though."

"Got it," Percy nodded. "So, when do we leave?"

"Nice try, Jackson," Clarisse said. "But this is a private party and you're not invited. We don't need you hijacking this quest like you did the last one. The last few, actually."

Annabeth sighed. This argument should be epic.

"I don't _hijack _anything," Percy said.

"Bullshit."

"Annabeth's my best friend."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

It was something in the way she said this that made Annabeth turn to look at her. She caught the warrior's eye and was surprised to see her blush slightly.

"Look," Clarisse said, looking at her again. "It's your quest. You can make the call. I'm going to go check in with Mr. D. We can figure out logistics later."

Annabeth watched her walk away for a moment. "Come on," she told Percy. "I'll fill you in."

As they walked around the lake, Annabeth told him about the Fleece. "Percy, you know I think you're a great fighter…"

"But you don't want me to come," Percy finished.

"It's not that I don't want you to come. I just think this won't be a group effort."

Percy looked at her for a moment before nodding. "It's okay. I'd just rather hear it from you than Clarisse," he said, grinning at her.

"Mature."

"Always." They were at the Poseidon cabin now, and Percy beckoned for her to follow him in. He rummaged through one of the chests beside the fountain for a minute. Finally he gave a "HA!" of triumph, and tossed a keychain at Annabeth. It was a conch shell. "If you need help, blow on that."

"You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. I've never tried it before, but I know it works. Dad wouldn't give me something defective. It's not his style."

"You sure it'll work for me? Lord Poseidon and my mom haven't exactly been getting along recently."

"I know it'll work," Percy said confidently. "Promise you'll use it if you need it?"

"Promise," Annabeth said, smiling.

* * *

Annabeth tossed her bag on her bed and tore the wrapping paper off of her present. It was a new sketch book. On the first page, her dad had written a quote. "The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. St. Augustine." She smiled and put the book in her backpack. A tap at the window made her look up. It was Clarisse. "What's up?" she asked, opening the window and leaning out.

"Pack your bags. Mr. D. booked us train tickets. They think it's in Tennesse. Apparently Hades tends to favor Memphis when he visits. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"Gotcha."

"And only bring one suitcase, Smartass," Clarisse said with a smirk. "We're traveling on bare essentials."

"Whatever you say, Xena Warrior Princess…" She laughed as Clarisse rolled her eyes and jogged back to the Ares Cabin.

_**LbN: (sings) If you like it, then you should'a put a review on it!**_


	3. Hitting the Road

**_LbN: Howdy everyone! This will probably be the last update for a few weeks. I'm about to graduate and I have a TON of work to do before they give me my degree :). And yes, I know Poseidon's an earthquake guy, not a thunder guy, but I had to take a little artistic license. You'll see why in later chapters. Happy reading!_  
**

As Clarisse walked back to the Ares cabin, she had an odd feeling. Not an "Oh-Shit-Kronos-Is-Back!" feeling or even a "Reach-For-Your-Sword-Your-Siblings-Are-About-To-Ambush-You" feeling. She listened for a moment before walking around the back of her cabin. The sound got louder—it sounded like someone was crying. On a whim, she looked up. "Kyros! What are you doing up there?" she yelled.

The six-year-old was on one of the scout platforms in the trees. He was hanging on to the railing and sobbing quietly. "M-max and Jason said I could be the scout for paintball, but now I can't get down."

Clarisse rolled her eyes and started climbing. More than likely, there hadn't been any paintball game. Kyros was the youngest kid at Camp, and the temptation to ditch him frequently overcame his older brothers and sisters. She climbed onto the platform and let him climb onto her back. "Hold on," she said, dropping from branch to branch. She set him on the ground finally and walked back into the cabin.

"Whatcha doin' Clarisse?" he asked as she went into her room.

"I've got to go with a friend on a trip, little man. Go see if Chris will take you to the ropes course." After he'd gone, she grabbed her backpack from under the bed. One of the perks to being a Camp counselor was that she got her own room, but that hardly meant she got any privacy. Under the bed wasn't the best hiding place for her birthday present, but it worked. The note from Ares fell out as she unzipped it. She blushed even though no one was there, extremely glad she'd been able to hide it before Annabeth saw the last part…

_**I know Mr. D pays you jack, so feel free to buy your lady friend dinner with the card. Once you grow a pair and ask her out, of course. Try not to die,**_

_**Ares**_

Smiling, Clarisse folded the letter and stuck it in the nightstand's drawer. She ran a hand through her hair and began to pack.

* * *

Clarisse grumbled as she looked at the monitors in the train station. Everything (or almost everything) at Camp was in ancient Greek, so her "dyslexia" was ten times worse. "Which train is it?" she asked Annabeth, shutting her eyes and trying to make the letters stay still.

"Over here. Platform three."

The train was half empty, so they didn't have a problem finding a compartment to themselves. Clarisse put up mirrors by the sliding door, so she could see down the hallway in both directions.

"What do you think we should do when we get there?" Annabeth asked. "Mr. D said Ha—er, you know… Nico's dad, hangs out on Beale Street a lot."

"Then we'll hit up Beale Street first. I don't think anyone's around, we can probably cool it on the talking in code thing."

The train gave a jolt and slowly pulled away from the station.

* * *

It was a calm ride, which worried Clarisse. She fully expected some kind of foul monster to be waiting on them when they got to Memphis, but all that met them was a heavy thunderstorm.

"Let's get a cab down to Beale!" Annabeth yelled over the torrent.

"Fine, but we're getting dinner before we start this scavenger hunt," Clarisse said. She waved down a taxi, getting drenched in the process. "Beale Street, please," she said, sliding in after Annabeth.

"Yes, ma'am." The cab driver nodded as he merged into traffic.

"Know any good places to eat down there?" Clarisse asked him.

"Can't go wrong with bar b q here, miss. I'd say hit BB King's before the dinner rush. I can let you off in front, if you want."

"Thanks."

The restaurant was almost empty, but it was warm, and that was all the two demigods cared about.

"You've been super quiet today," Clarisse noted after they'd ordered.

"Just thinking. This place is huge. I don't even know where to start."

"We can go down Beale tonight, and hit up different tourist spots tomorrow."

The bell over the door chimed and both of them saw a boy come in. Both of them did a double take as he walked toward them.

He was tall and skinny, dressed in black jeans and a Story of the Year tour shirt. He had a seriously Emo haircut, and a bright red stud earing in his left ear. "How's it going ladies?" Nico asked.

"It's going," Clarisse said, still stunned. "What are you doing here?"

He pulled up a chair as the waitress dropped off their food. He stole a french fry from Annabeth's plate and said, "Dad sent me." He chewed slowly and avoided their gaze. Even though things at Camp Half Blood had gotten a lot better in recent years, Nico still felt out of place there. Most of the time he stayed in his father's house. He hated being sent on errands though… "He wants you to know not to waste your time. It's not here. He says you can have it, though, if you can get it back."

"**_What is his damage_**?" Clarisse asked. "And if it's not here, then where is it?"

"The Lotus Hotel."

"You've got to be kidding," Annabeth said.

"Don't shoot the messenger," the fourteen year old said.

"What was the point of taking it, if he's just going to give it back?"

"I don't know," Nico said, stealing another fry. "It's probably got something to do with him hanging out with—" Nico stopped as a strange humming filled the room. The lights flickered, and his shadow seem to grow a few more feet and loom over them. "Fine, I get it," he grumbled, getting up. "Sorry," he told them, shrugging. "I'll see you guys when you get back to Camp."

"Are you staying this summer then?"

"Yeah. It's pretty insufferable at home when Persephone's not there. Even if she doesn't like me that much, she still make Dad…er…tamer. Catch you later."

* * *

"So why's this Lotus place such a problem?" Clarisse asked later, as they got ready for bed.

"That's where Nico and Bianca where trapped, remember? Time stands still there. Last time I was there, I was high off of Lotus Cakes for four days…"

Clarisse stopped in the middle of brushing her teeth and nearly gagged laughing. After she'd calmed down, she said, "I'm sorry…it's just…you? High? I…really can't picture it."

"Yeah, well…we're going to have to figure out how to get in and out of there without them noticing that we're 'awake' as they call it. What?"

Clarisse stopped in the doorway of the bathroom. They'd opted for a room with a king size bed, because it came with a Jacuzzi tub, but Clarisse was having problems being chill about, literally, sleeping with Annabeth.

"I…er…nothing." She jumped at a rather loud rumble of thunder. "Uh-oh. Zeus is pissed about something…."

"It's Poseidon, not Zeus."

"How do you know?"

"He and Mom have been fighting ever since Percy and I broke up. I can tell his storms from Zeus's."

"How?" Clarisse asked, getting into bed. Even though there was about three feet between them, she stayed on the very end of the bed. _Hands to yourself, hands to yourself, hands to yourself_… Clarisse chanted in her head.

"Zeus's are flashy. It's like the encore number at a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. Poseidon's are sea storms. They're…deeper. It sounds like the sea is coming to get you."

Clarisse nodded and lay back. "I'm sure it will be fine. Get some sleep, we've got to get up early tomorrow."

"Good night," Annabeth said.

"Night." Clarisse closed her eyes, fervently hoping Annabeth didn't 'sleep cuddle'.

_**LbN: Send reviews please! :)**_


	4. Back to the Lotus Hotel

_**LbN: I'm baaaack! Shout out to my reviewers! Thanks, especially, to Nica P, GrangerGirl22, ACAST, and AnExcitedReader. Can't reply to you guys, but I appreciate the reviews. Happy reading.**_

Annabeth knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she was having a Demigod Dream. She hated them. She always felt like some creep-o stalker. She got closer to the two men talking. Nico was sitting on a smaller throne next to one of them. _Hades_, she thought.

"My son has informed the target of the location of the Fleece."

"Wait!" Nico exclaimed, jumping up. "What are you talking about, 'target'? You said they wouldn't be harmed."

"I said that _I _wouldn't harm them," Hades said.

Annabeth walked closer to the group. Looking at the one she didn't recognize, she immediately knew that he was a son of Athena. He had the same eyes as her and her siblings. She'd never seen him though.

"No!"

"Nico!" Hades boomed. "Go to your room!"

"I'm sixteen years old!" Nico bellowed. "Stop telling me what to do!" He looked straight at Annabeth.

"ANNABETH!" Clarisse said, shaking her awake.

Annabeth sat up, breathing hard. "Trap," she sputtered.

"What?"

"Something's not right. I saw Hades and…someone. It was one of my brothers."

"I thought you were demigod dreaming. What did they say?"

"Not much. Nico was there and he flipped when Hades called one of us a target."

"Target?"

"I don't know which one of us it is," Annabeth shrugged, rubbing the scar on her arm.

"What do you think?" Clarisse asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Annabeth was glad that Clarisse wasn't trying to be macho at that minute. She was really worried, and being able to talk it through with the daughter of Ares was a little comforting. Really comforting. The older girl had a way of treating danger like it was nothing, so Annabeth was relieved that she was being taken seriously. She leaned into Clarisse before saying, "Well, it's not like we can just go back to Olympus and say 'Sorry Mom, Ares, we don't feel like getting killed today.' We have to try and get this stupid thing back. I mean, it was theirs at one point. It was a symbol of protection at Camp. We can't just give up."

"How about we go to Vegas? We can take a plane. Hades thinks we're driving, maybe whoever he's working with won't have time to catch up."

"I'm sure he'll know, but maybe it'll give us time to figure out what to do when we get there. One thing though…."

"What's that?"

"We need to drop a _drachma _and ask permission to fly. I don't feel like pissing anyone off today."

Clarisse laughed and rummaged in her backpack for a moment before tossing a coin at her.

Annabeth popped open her laptop and slid it into a slot at the top of the screen, next to the camera. It dissolved and a second later, a visual of the Olympian throne room came up. "My lord Zeus," she said, inclining her head.

"Yes?" he said with a kind smile.

"We…we just wanted to ask permission to enter your domain. We want to fly to Vegas today as a part of our mission." She saw Zeus shoot an approving look to his left, and saw her mother and Ares smile.

"Yes…yes, that would be fine. You have my permission for the rest of your trip."

"Thank you, my lord Zeus," both girls said.

The connection faded and Annabeth put the computer away. "Let's go catch a plane."

* * *

It took them a few hours, but they finally boarded and American Airlines flight to Dallas, and then on to Vegas. Annabeth settled into her seat as Clarisse put their bags into the overhead (the daughter of Ares was on a chivalrous streak that day). "Thanks," she said.

"No prob," Clarisse said, shrugging.

"No…well, yeah, that too. But I meant for earlier. Thanks for not blowing me off when I told you about the dream."

"Why would I? I know you're brave. You're not the kind to freak about nothing. It's serious if you say it is."

Annabeth smiled and settled back into her seat.

* * *

Sure, she'd been there before, but Annabeth was still blown away by it. It looked cool. The architect inside of her was both offended and impressed at the same time. "Turn here. The Lotus is just a little way up this street." It was just like Annabeth remembered, which worried her.

"It couldn't have that bad?" Clarisse said/asked.

"Was that a statement or a question?"

"Both?"

Annabeth giggled nervously. "They know me in there. There's no way they'll leave us alone if they even suspect that I'm awake."

It took exactly two seconds for Clarisse to catch on. "No. No way in Tartarus am I letting you get all high off of their special cakes. Have you gone completely out of your mind?"

"No. Trust me, I'd rather be able to look for the Fleece with you, but they knew the moment Percy woke up. They'll definitely know that I'm awake."

"I'm not leaving you alone to wander around."

"You don't have to. Just pretend to eat the cakes, and walk around with me. Act like you're having fun. Just keep your eyes open at the same time."

The daughter of Ares glowered at her for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Are you stubborn when you're high? 'Cause if shit gets real, I don't know if I'll be able to fight and pull you out of there."

"It'll be fine," Annabeth said, evading the question. "Let's go."

* * *

"Welcome to the Lotus Hotel," one of the greeters said, smiling brightly at them. "Would you like your complimentary game cards now?"

"Hell yeah!" Clarisse said, looking around.

"And don't forget to visit the bar for complimentary Lotus cakes!"

"Thanks," Annabeth said, taking her game card.

They made their way over to the bar, where sodas and cakes were lined up. Both of them took one, but Clarisse only pretended to eat. She turned away from the bar and looked through the dance hall for any glance of gold. Crushing the cake in her hand, she scattered the crumbs behind her and brushed her hands off on her pants. She turned when she heard giggling. "Annabeth?"

"Look! They've got pinball!" Annabeth said. She sounded like a kid at Christmas. "Let's go!"

Clarisse trailed Annabeth around for what she figured was about an hour. No sign of the golden Fleece anywhere. And she was getting a little tired of Annabeth's incessant giddiness.

_**Think, Clarisse.**_

She jumped. Everyone at the poker table looked at her. To buy herself time, she pretended to eat another Lotus cake. She was kind of starting to wonder what they tasted like…

_**Don't even think about it, **_Ares growled in her mind. _**You are stronger than that. Now think!**_

Clarisse thought. _This is Hades we're talking about. Hades is a creepy guy. Where would he hide it?_

"Clarisse, let's go dance."

"Have you been upstairs yet?" Clarisse asked slowly.

"No."

"I still have my dad's card. Let's go check out the penthouse."

"Okay!"

It was easy enough to get a key; the people at the desk thought she was high too. She put the key in the lock and peeked inside. "Right on!" she yelped, spotting the Fleece. "Annabeth! Annabeth, no, wake up," she said. She took the Lotus cake from Annabeth and smiled when the daughter of Athena pouted. "Wake up!" she said.

It took Annabeth a few minutes, but she snapped out of it. "What…? The penthouse, Clarisse?" she asked, noticing where she was. "Something you want to tell me?"

Clarisse went bright red. "You already told me this shit was a setup. The Fleece isn't the point, which means Hades doesn't give a damn if we found it. In fact he probably wanted us to find it."

"Is this going somewhere?" Annabeth asked, still smiling.

"That plan you came up with? You on the Lotus, me awake? Hades counted on that. He also seems to have me confused with a few of my brothers, and thought I would…er…take advantage of you. So he hid the Fleece here, because he knows I'm also a fan of big spending."

Annabeth laughed. "You're brilliant."

"At times. So how are we gonna get out of here now that you're awake?"

"With a little help from my mom," Annabeth said, pulling a folded baseball cap out of belt. "Since you're obviously a great actress, I'll wear it. Just get us out of here; I'll follow you." She took the Fleece, put the cap on and went invisible.

It only took Clarisse twenty minutes to get them out to the parking lot. "Annabeth—?" she began as they reached the car.

"What's up?" she asked, taking off the cap and tossing the Fleece into the backseat.

Clarisse didn't get the rest of her question out, however, because they heard a voice behind them.

"Nice job, little sister. The baseball cap was a nice touch."

The two demigods turned, and in that instant, Annabeth knew that it was the man from her dreams.

_**LbN: Send reviews! Updates will be coming quicker now that I'm out of school :). As always, there's a poll on my profile if you want to go vote. **_


	5. The Weirdest First Date Ever

_**LbN: Sorry about the wait! The Erikhthonios legend is different in different places, but Annabeth explains the gist of it in this chapter. Happy reading.**_

"Name's Erik," the man said. "It's nice to finally meet Mother's favorite." He smirked as he looked at Annabeth.

Clarisse looked over at her too. She could tell the other demigod was thinking hard. She knew two things for sure. First, this guy was bad news, and second, he wasn't like them. There was a contempt in his eyes that was similar to all immortals. This "Erik" was a god. "Annabeth," she said quietly. "Get in the car."

Erik drew a sword and pointed it at Clarisse. "You're not going anywhere. Well, you can do what you want, but my sister," he said with contempt, "is staying with me."

Clarisse knocked his sword aside with her own, lightning fast.

"Ah…" Erik said, coming closer to Clarisse. "You must be the infamous daughter of Ares."

"Damn right she is," another voice came from their left.

"Da—Lord Ares?" Clarisse corrected herself.

"Ares, you have no business interfering in the affairs of a demigod."

"Correct," Ares said, brushing past Clarisse. "I would never dare to interfere in a matter between demigods. But you, Erikhthonios, are a god. And disappointing though Clarisse can sometimes be, if she's going to be smote, it won't be by a minor god such as yourself."

"Erikhthonios?" Annabeth said.

"Annabeth, car," Clarisse muttered. She was an expert at paraphrasing Ares's words. He was giving them a name and a head start. She got into the driver's seat and a bit later they were driving away from the two gods. "Okay, Ares gave us that name for a reason. I can't remember, so you'll have to explain."

"He's technically the son of my mother and Lord Hephaestus."

"What?" Clarisse asked, rapidly trying to recall her facts on Olympian history. "I didn't know they ever loved each other."

"_She _didn't," Annabeth said darkly. "And he…er…missed. But when she was…cleaning up, the wool she tossed away got Gaia pregnant and Erik was born."

"Whoa…."

"Mom protected him though. Kept the other gods away from him. He became king of Athens."

"But I thought he died," Clarisse said, remembering the legend. "His son Pandion succeeded him."

"He's full god. Not Olympian, but definitely immortal. With such a strong connection to Mom, I don't think he would fade, even if his legend did. Not as long as she was still strong."

"So what's he want with you?"

"No idea, but it can't be good."

Clarisse drove in silence for a while. At least fifteen minutes passed before she spoke again. "We can't go back to Olympus until we figure out what Hades and Erik want. The Fleece was just a ruse. Something else is going on."

"I know. What time is it?"

"10."

"Too late for a flight. Do you think he'll try to find us tonight?"

Clarisse thought for a second. "No idea," she said. "Annabeth?"

"What?"

"Go on a date with me."

"Right now?" Annabeth asked, quirking an eyebrow at Clarisse.

"Yeah."

Annabeth chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The restaurant was…fancy. That didn't seem like a strong enough word, but that was the first one that hit Clarisse when they walked in. She and Annabeth were definitely under-dressed, but that didn't bother the owner, once he'd seen Clarisse's credit card. The place was full of rich people. The daughter of Ares was pretty sure Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was in the booth behind them with some director or another.

"So, Warrior Princess," Annabeth said after the waiter delivered their drinks. "Why now?"

"Nothing like imminent death to make you bold," Clarisse said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously though…I just…hadn't gotten around to it…"

Annabeth, aware that Clarisse wasn't entirely comfortable talking about her feelings, changed the subject. "How do you like working at camp?"

"It's great. I love being a trainer. Especially when I get to work with the new ones. They've got the best attitudes. Why? Are you thinking of coming back?"

"After college, yes. For a while, at least."

Something happened at that moment. The restaurant was oddly quiet. Clarisse automatically reached for the throwing stars in her pockets, but when she looked toward the front of the building, she saw she didn't need to. Not at that moment at least. "Lord Morpheus," she said, inclining her head.

"I was in the neighborhood, and I ran into a mutual friend of ours. One Nico d'Angelo. He wanted me to tell you that young Annabeth is the target. Normally I would have waited to appear in your dreams, as is my normal method, but Nico was quite agitated when I left him. In any case, you should be on the first flight out tomorrow. Las Vegas is not safe for the two of you. In fact, might I suggest dining on McDonald's tonight so as not to be out in the open? The MGM should suffice for a comfortable stay, wouldn't you agree? I must be on my way."

* * *

They were up at an ungodly hour the next day. It was too quiet. Clarisse kept her hand on the hilt of her sword as they walked to the car. They were passing the fountain when Erik blocked their path. Clarisse drew her sword. "We have places to be," she snarled. "Move."

"You would do well to remember who you're addressing, demigod," Erik said.

"I don't give a damn if you're Kronos himself," Clarisse said. "You're not going to hurt Annabeth."

"You'd fight and die just for _her_?" Erik sneered. "I never knew Ares raised such sentimental idiots." A nearby cactus caught fire suddenly and apparently Erik decided not to risk another Olympian interference. "Fine then. We will fight. You will die first. But I am not without mercy. I shall wait until you're ready."

Annabeth caught Clarisse's arm and dragged her back a few steps. "You can't seriously be thinking of fighting him…."

"You bet your ass I am," Clarisse said. "Listen, we're going to have to fight him sooner or later. I'm going to keep him occupied. Just try and spot a weakness for me. Either that or figure out a way to distract him long enough for us to get away." She hesitated for a moment, and then leaned in to kiss Annabeth. _Fuck, might as well_ she thought. _I'm sure as hell not about to die without having kissed her._ She took a deep breath and ran straight at Erik.

* * *

Annabeth's mind was racing. Her extensive knowledge of battle strategy was working overtime, but Erik didn't seem to have any weaknesses. Unfortunately, he'd already guessed Clarisse's, and had been taunting her the entire time. Enough was enough. If things kept going the way they were, Clarisse was going to get killed.

Annabeth ran over to the fountain. She had no idea whether or not she actually had to be _in _the water for the conch shell to work, but she wasn't wasting any time debating. "Sorry for the wakeup call, Percy," she whispered. With a deep breath she blew into the necklace.

_Tweeeeeet! Tweet Tweet Tweeeeeeeet!_

Wholly unimpressive. It had less auditory force than the rape whistles they gave out at the "Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself" assembly at her old school.

Both fighters stopped and looked over at her, confused. Clarisse used that moment to knock Erik off of his feet, but he got a lucky swipe in, cutting a gash in her side.

* * *

A foghorn went off inside the son of Poseidon's mind. "Gaaahhh!" he screamed, flipping out of his hammock in alarm.

_Honk Honk Hooooooonnnnk!_

"I GET IT ANNABETH!" he shouted, stumbling out onto the deck. He dropped a shell into the lake, and the ripples became a picture. Annabeth was kneeling beside Clarisse, who looked hurt. There was a man standing over them with a sword, smirking at them. Percy jumped into the water, eyes fixed on the picture in front of him. He swam in a circle for a moment, creating a tiny whirlpool, before blowing bubbles toward the picture. Anyone who saw him at the moment, would have been worried about his sanity. And probably laughing their asses off. He had a feeling that the guy wouldn't find it to funny.

* * *

"You're a formidable fighter, daughter of Ares. Shall I put you out of your misery?" Erik chuckled.

"Fuck off," Clarisse snapped.

At that moment the ground began to rumble. All three turned in time to see a tornado of water come up out of the fountain, and straight toward Erik.

"No!" the god cried as the water trapped him.

Annabeth helped Clarisse up. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They made it to the car as quickly as possible. Turning around, they could still see the water, now in bubble shape, bouncing down the Strip with Erik still trapped inside.

"Why do I get the feeling your whistle woke Percy up from his beauty rest?" Clarisse asked, taking a bite out of the ambrosia Power Bar she found in her bag.

"You said to distract Erik. I'd say he's distracted."

"Remind me to _never _piss Jackson off…" Clarisse muttered.

**_LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews!_**


	6. Clarisse Picks a Fight at the Alamo

_**LbN: Howdy! Thanks everyone for your awesome reviews- especially you, ConstructiveCriticism! This chapter is in Clarisse's POV, but the next 2 will be in Annabeth's. Bonus points if you know which movie Clarisse quotes in this chapter ;). Happy reading!**_

They barely made their flight. Clarisse dropped into the seat next to Annabeth, breathing hard. The fight had taken more out of her than she'd thought, which pissed her off. She was indulging in a particularly gory fantasy of ringing Erik's neck when she felt Annabeth take her hand.

"He's a god," the daughter of Athena mumbled. "You did well."

Clarisse said nothing. Logic wasn't going to make her feel better. Nothing would, except having another go at that Olympian wannabe… She just hoped she could get Annabeth back safely before it happened.

"We should sleep while we can," Annabeth said, yawning.

"You go ahead," Clarisse said, putting an arm around her.

"We'll be fine while we're in Zeus's domain," Annabeth reminded her. "You can sleep."

Clarisse nodded. Airplane seats weren't exactly conducive to naps, but she relaxed as best she could and closed her eyes.

An hour later, both of them woke up to an announcement over the intercom.

"_This is your captain speaking. Dallas had some severe hail storms move in. We're being diverted to San Antonio. We'll give you an update when we receive more information."_

Around them, people were groaning and griping. Clarisse sat up, stretching and thinking hard. "Of course the plane we're on is diverted…."

"You think it's…you know…?"

"Probably. But I was thinking, we can't go back to Oly—to our parents' house yet anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because I have a feeling that's what Erik wants. I don't quite know why, but it's about them, not us."

* * *

The plane landed about an hour later. Clarisse was healed by then, and acting like it by carrying their bags.

"You know, I'm not completely helpless," Annabeth said, smirking. "I can carry my duffle bag."

"I'm trying to be chivalrous," Clarisse said, smiling. "There's our van." She nodded to the Holiday Inn Express shuttle.

"Rollin' big this time, aren't we," Annabeth said.

Clarisse laughed. "Shut up, Smartass."

"Make me, Warrior Princess."

Clarisse settled for quirking an eyebrow at her. "Anyway. Our flight's not until tomorrow, so what are we going to do today?"

"Well in theory, we should really stay off the radar," Annabeth said.

"But?"

"Our first date got interrupted. Let's at least get lunch."

* * *

The hotel had been quiet. A peaceful quiet, not the quiet of an impending fight or catastrophe. Clarisse should have known better than to go out. It was perfectly reasonable to her to stay in and order room service.

But no. She'd let Annabeth talk her into some sightseeing. True, they were both having fun, but now Clarisse had to be on alert. They'd eaten at a really fun Mexican food place, and watched tortillas being made while they waited for their food. Now Annabeth, ever the history buff, was dragging her through downtown San Antonio to see the Alamo.

"Would you calm down?" Annabeth said the third time Clarisse looked around them. "We're in a crowd, just like New York. It'll be harder to spot us. We'll just have to be careful going back."

"Habit," Clarisse said with a smile. "Come on, let's go see your old crumbled building so we can get back and go swimming."

* * *

The courtyard-like area of the monument was packed. Three or four tours were finishing up, so they had to squeeze their way through a throng of parents, kids, and crying babies to get to the actual building.

It was empty, and silent.

Clarisse put a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Something's not right," Annabeth said. "Let's go."

"Oh no," a voice said. "You got away last time. I have no intention of letting you do so again." Erik came around a corner. "Let's make this simple, daughter of Ares. You let Annabeth go back to New York with me, and I let you live."

Clarisse took her sword out of her pocket. She loved this sword, mostly because it was the closest thing she'd ever have to a lightsaber. It was disguised as a flashlight handle. She spun it, and the blade flashed to life. "Get fucked," she said calmly. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Erik laughed. "A true daughter of Ares…vulgar and possessive of your…er…conquests."

"You are such a fucking creeper!" Clarisse said. "She's not a 'conquest,' she's my girlfriend. And your stalker ass isn't coming anywhere near her."

"We'll see about that."

"I held my own against you once today," Clarisse taunted. "I was tired, so you got in a lucky swing."

"Careful, demigod," Erik growled. "Remember that I have the lord Hades on my side. You are fighting more than one god here."

"I know exactly who I'm fighting."

"Then prepare to battle."

"I have an idea," Annabeth whispered. "Do you think you can beat him?"

"I'm cocky, but I'm not that cocky…I can probably hurt him enough so that he won't follow us back."

"Give me your dad's card, and stall for as long as you can."

"This is just a guess," Clarisse said sarcastically. "But it might not be a good idea for us to split up."

"Ten minutes, and I'll be back. You have to trust me on this. Do your thing," Annabeth smiled.

Clarisse nodded. "Just don't get killed."

"You're talking to a battle wisdom wiz. I'll be fine. Be careful." She put on her baseball cap and went invisible.

"I'm waiting, demigod," Erik said.

"My name is Clarisse," the daughter of Ares said. "I think you'll remember it after this."

* * *

Annabeth rushed through the crowd. The plan was good, in theory, but she had to move quickly. There was food stand about a block away, and she sprinted over to it, taking her hat off. "Hi," she panted. "Can I have…um…three of those gordita things and some nachos, and a coke."

The man ran her card and handed over her food. "Have a good day," he said.

"Let's hope so," she mumbled.

* * *

Clarisse dodged and struck again, gaining confidence with every swing. She moved quickly when Erik tried to trip her up, and got in a punch. He stumbled a bit but swung again. She caught the blow with her sword, smirking. "This is pointless," she said. "You're trying to fight a daughter of Ares."

"You will not win," Erik grumbled. He rushed her and caught her at the throat.

Gasping, Clarisse punched him in the side, making him drop her. Coughing, she picked up her sword and took a blind swing. It caught him on the shin and he limped back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabeth throwing food on the ground.

Erik rushed her again, sword point out.

Clarisse rolled, but it cut her left arm.

"You are finished, demigod," Erik said. "Yield. Turn my sister over to me."

"Hell no," Clarisse said smirking. She never got to use her favorite movie line, but now was the perfect moment. "There's something you don't know."

"What's that, demigod?"

"I am not left-handed." She attacked again, with renewed force.

Erik dodged, taking a few swings of his own. He backed off a second later though, and stared intently at the ground.

It started to rumble.

Clarisse backed away as a skeletal army rose from the ground. "Mother fucker!" she yelped.

Annabeth ran in at that moment. "We have help on the way, but I think now would be a good time to use _The Illiad_." She handed her the book.

"Thanks," Clarisse said as they backed away from the advancing army. She opened the book. Inside, in a hole cut into the pages, was a sword hilt. She spun it.

"WHOA!" Annabeth said stepping back.

The word "overcompensation" jumped to Clarisse's mind as the Sword of Odysseus materialized. She took a swing at the skeleton in front of her. It broke to pieces. "Badass." Before she could do anything, though, the ground began to rumble again, and more skeletons appeared, this time facing Erik and his dead army.

"Thanks Nico," Annabeth said. She tossed a stick of gum into the dirt and it disappeared. "Let's go."

"Are you kidding? We've got him on the ropes _and _we've got back up."

"Don't be a battle junkie," Annabeth told her, grabbing the book and the backpack. "Let's get out while he's occupied."

Clarisse nodded and followed after her.

"This isn't over, Clarisse, daughter of Ares," Erik yelled.

His use of her name didn't escape Clarisse, and she knew that it couldn't be a good thing.

* * *

Clarisse woke up, but kept her eyes closed. Someone was in their room. Stealthily she grabbed hold of the sword hilt under her pillow and sat up, spinning the blade into life. "Don't move," she said quietly.

The figure lowered its hood. Her hood. It was Athena. "Good..." she glanced at the clock, "morning, Clarisse."

"Oh, er…hello." Clarisse glanced over at the clock as well. It was midnight.

"You've had an eventful day, fighting one child and protecting the other."

Clarisse was always a little wary of the gods, so she stayed quiet.

"I do not approve of Annabeth's choice, but I have to admit that I'd rather she was with you than the son of Poseidon."

The demigod tried to keep the smug look off her face. It didn't work.

"I don't trust your father," Athena continued. "Which means I have an even more difficult time trusting his children. I expect you to protect my daughter."

"I will," Clarisse said. "You don't have to worry about that."

Athena smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk. "Of course."

"Do you want your Fleece back now?"

"Oh, I think it would behoove you to keep it until you return to New York. You are a wonderful fighter, Clarisse, but do you really think you stand a chance against a god without the luck of the Fleece with you?"

Clarisse sat stunned for a second. She hadn't even thought about that. "But…I didn't have it with me today…" she said, confused.

"Physically, no, but it was in your possession. I shall let you sleep now." She walked over to Annabeth's side of the bed and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Mom?" Annabeth whispered, waking slightly.

"Go back to sleep. I'll see you soon. I'll see you both soon."

With that she disappeared in a column of flame.

_**LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews por favor!**_


	7. Annabeth Figures It Out

_**LbN: Writer's Block is no fun :(. But, I'm back and ready to roll! Happy reading!**_

Annabeth was fuming. Clarisse had barely spoken to her that day, and was refusing to tell her what she'd talked about with Athena the night before. To let off some steam, she was designing a new cabin for the sons of Morpheus. They'd be coming to Camp in a few years, and she was going to show the plans to Mr. D to see if he'd use her design. By the time the plane landed in New York, she had figured out that even drawing wasn't going to help her mood. As they walked out to the rental car lot, she took the keys from Clarisse.

"What are you doing?" the daughter of Ares asked.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm driving." When she saw that Clarisse was about to protest, she shook her head. "You can keep a lookout."

"Alright, I guess," Clarisse said, sounding confused at Annabeth's sudden urge to be behind the wheel.

Once they were stuck in traffic, Annabeth decided to bring up the previous night. "What did you and my mom talk about?" she asked for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

"Annabeth…"

"No. Don't try to dodge the question again. Whatever she told you has had you acting all moody this morning. What the hell is going on?"

"It's…I just don't think she likes me that much…"

"She's a freaking _**virgin immortal**_! She doesn't like anyone I date. She's worried you're going to steal my virtue, and that I'll become some crazed sex addict and won't have time for my studies because I'll be boning everyone in sight."

Clarisse spit out the water she was drinking. She hadn't _quite _thought about it that way… "Well, I guess that's true…I think…. Plus, I am kind of stealing her favorite daughter. Even mortal parents get upset about that."

Annabeth laughed and was about to say something as they pulled up to a stoplight, but she paused. Somewhere in her brain, a spark went off. She stared at the red light, thinking hard.

"What is it?" Clarisse asked. "You just got the same look Alice Cullen gets when she's having a vision."

Thrown off by the fact that Clarisse knew _anything _about Twilight, Annabeth snapped back to attention. "I just…I don't know. I need to think."

"Want me to drive?"

"No, I'm okay." She was quiet for another minute. As soon as the light turned green, she pulled an action movie-worthy U-turn and headed in the other direction.

"WHOA!" Clarisse yelled, holding on for dear life. "What the hell?"

"I get it!" Annabeth practically yelped. "I think I understand."

"Well, I wish you'd fill me in, 'cause I'm lost," Clarisse chuckled. "Where are we going?"

Annabeth's mind was racing. If you'd ever watched a puzzle-solving contest on fast motion, that was probably what was taking place in her head at that moment. Pieces were zipping together, scrambling, unscrambling… Snippets of conversations were popping up.

"_Favorite child…"_

"_The targets…"_

"_My sister comes back with me…"_

"_It's about them, not us."_

"It's about them, not us," Annabeth said finally.

"I'm lost."

"Remember when you said that? That we couldn't go back to Olympus, because that's what Erik wants? You were right. He's trolling for a fight on Olympus. They're trying to take our parents' thrones."

"Hostile takeover? You don't think that's a little…" Clarisse broke off, trying to find the right word.

"Dramatic? Farfetched?" Annabeth supplied. "Not at all. Remember what Chiron told us after the battle? When we were all back at Camp for Christmas?"

"Er…that our natures reflect our settings. We're mortal down here, but our godly sides show up more when we're in one of our parents' realms."

"Exactly. Our collective awesomeness aside, we were able to stand up to Kronos better on Olympus than we were here on the ground."

"So why would he want us to go back? Shouldn't he be trying to kick our asses on the ground?"

"Because we need to be in our parents' house for the plan to work. They want to be as close to the thrones as possible when shit gets real, so to speak, because they don't want any down time between our parents getting off their thrones and them taking them. Hades is already going to have to travel a bit, so Erik wants to be there immediately."

"I'm still a little confused. Why do they think fighting us on Olympus would get them our parents' thrones?"

"Because gods aren't allowed to _physically _interfere with their children's affairs. If you and Erik had actually been fighting that night in Vegas, Ares wouldn't have been able to do anything. He has impeccable timing—he showed up when right before anything happened. If you and Erik had been fighting, he wouldn't have been able to be physically present. He could've sent you ideas, talked you through the fight, or tried to send a distraction some other way, but not the way he did. If we go up to Olympus, the temptation to interfere will be unbearable for him and for my mom. If they do, they'll have to step down from their Olympian thrones. Plus there's the added sting of the high possibility their favorite children would get killed in the bargain."

"You're telling me that Erik and Hades lifted that Fleece just to give us some wild goose chase scenario that would ultimately lead us back to Olympus? How did they know I'd be with you and that there would be two seats to claim?"

"Come on, they never let us go alone before. Plus, they know us well—if they _had_ told me to go alone, you or Percy, or both, would have followed me anyway. Either way, that's two thrones. Since the Fleece used to belong to your dad, they figured you'd be along for the ride. They were banking on our parents' sense of personal injury"

"True. Well that makes the fights I had make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"I was just thinking it's a bit weird that in every fight I had with Erik, he gave me time to prepare. Not just a second to gain my bearings—he waited until I was ready. That's…not normal for anyone, let alone a god. He's looking for a seat of his own, but he doesn't really care whether or not Hades gets one. If he manages to off me, it's whatever. If he doesn't, that's cool too because then that's still two thrones open and he still has Hades as an ally."

"Right," Annabeth nodded.

"So what now?"

"We fight him in another realm of the gods. We'll have our advantage, but we won't be with our parents."

"He's had tons of chances to attack us in the air," Clarisse said. "I don't know if we'll be able to lure him there."

"I'm not talking about the air," Annabeth said, parking the car. They were at a pier.

"You have completely lost your mind."

_**LbN: One more chapter and an epilogue to go!**_


	8. The Plan in Action

**A Blanket for a Demigod**

Annabeth had not, in fact, vacated her senses. She simply trusted the gods more than Clarisse. Was the plan risky? Yes. Was there a high probability of her dying? Definitely. But when were demigods ever completely safe from danger?

"Okay," Clarisse said, following her down the pier. "Say we go along with your, no offense, clown shit insane plan. How exactly do you plan on luring him out into the middle of the water?"

"How do you guarantee a visit from any god?" Annabeth asked. "Piss them off."

"I was afraid of that."

* * *

Half an hour later, they were standing at the end of the pier, going over the plan one last time.

"Are you sure about this?" Clarisse asked.

"No. But it's the best we've got." Annabeth took a few deep breaths and said clearly. "Besides, there's always the thought that my brother's too chicken shit to show up. I mean, you've handed him his ass twice already, and he's never even fought against me. He probably doesn't want to. It's really no wonder my mom didn't want him around."

Purely out of instinct, Clarisse ducked and took Annabeth to the ground with her. It was a good thing, too, since a knife whizzed through the air where their heads had been. They rolled away from each other and jumped up as Erik advanced on them.

"You presume too much, demigod," Erik growled.

"Do your thing," Annabeth whispered to Clarisse. She climbed over the railing and hoped fervently that Percy had been back to clean this place up recently. She put the conch shell into her mouth and jumped off the pier.

_Tweeeeeeee—_

_

* * *

_

-_ooooooooonk!_

"Ahhh! Percy yelled, automatically jumping into the water to dull the sound. He saw Annabeth doing the same. He cupped his hands around his mouth and blew an air bubble into it. With a pitching motion, he sent it to her. Emerging from the lake, he shook the water from his hair and ears and sat on the dock to watch the scene unfold.

"What was that about?" Grover asked, sitting next to him.

"I don't know, but I'm definitely taking that shell back when Annabeth gets back to Camp," he said.

* * *

Annabeth stood in the middle of the air bubble, battle tense.

As expected, Erik was there a second later. The bubble didn't completely close behind him, and water began to leak in. "At first I thought I'd be able to use you to get _Mother's_ throne," he said with contempt, "but I see you've found out too much. We have other siblings; some of whom will be more than happy to take me to Olympus, should they ever be summoned. I'm a patient god. I can wait."

Annabeth pulled out her knives and dodged a blow from Erik's sword. "Forget it," she said. "Kronos pulled that crap before. None of us will fall for it again. We're not going to overturn our parents just because their nature isn't all that…er…nurturing." She rolled to dodge again, and before she came up, sliced a hole in the bubble. Water was coming in more quickly now. She ducked and did a summersault through his legs, cutting the back of his knees.

"Aaaargh!" he yelled. "Why do you fight? I'm going to heal in a moment, and then I'll kill you."

"I don't think so," Annabeth said, smirking. She took a deep breath.

At that moment, another whole was cut in the air bubble, and Clarisse slashed Erik from shoulder to hip. The last thing Annabeth saw, before the water rushed in was Erik bleeding gold. She closed her eyes and swam towards the surface. Finally reaching it, she gasped for air for a moment before opening her eyes. She'd been in deeper than she thought. "Clarisse?"

"Here," the daughter of Ares said.

A strong current moved them out from under the pier. Before they could figure where the ladder to the pier was, the sea chucked them up onto dry land.

"Ow!"

"Freaking A!"

"That was a brazen plan, demigod," a voice said.

"Thanks, Lord Poseidon," Annabeth said.

"Not the brightest, all things considered…"

"Trust me; I would never have disturbed your realm if it wasn't an absolute emergency."

"Do not presume to do so again," Poseidon said. "My son may be over you, but that does not mean you have free roam of my waters."

"Yes, Lord Poseidon."

The sea god disappeared in a jet of water and foam.

"Well, it worked," Clarisse said, shrugging.

"Yeah it did," Annabeth grinned. She sat next to Clarisse against the rails. "And apparently you have a bright future ahead of you in acting."

"I didn't think he was going to fall for it. Mainly because taping juice boxes to myself made me look pretty lumpy…in the wrong places…." She pointed to the trash can, where a double pack of Juicy Juice was sitting on top, leaking onto the pier.

Annabeth laughed and got to her feet. "Let's get the Fleece back."

* * *

Annabeth had never been happier to see the boarder of Camp Half Blood. She tumbled out of Apollo's party van an hour after their ordeal with Erik. The god had been loitering on the pier, watching the action. He'd been good enough to offer them a ride, seeing as the gods didn't actually need the Fleece on Olympus. She gave him the Fleece and watched as the god put it back in its proper place.

"There," he said. "Perfect."

"Does my mom want to see me?" Annabeth asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure she wouldn't say no to it. I'm also sure that she'd want you to come tomorrow, after you've gotten a good night's sleep."

Annabeth chuckled. "Alright. Thanks for the ride, Lord Apollo."

"No problem. Daughter of Athena, daughter of Ares," he said, nodding to both of them. He got back into his van and shot into the sky.

"You know," Clarisse said, taking Annabeth's hand. "I find it kind of funny that Apollo has a creeper van."

"Shut up," Annabeth said, laughing.

"THEY'RE BACK! GUYS! THEY'RE BACK!"

"Oh shit," Clarisse said. "They reinstated the Camp Crier…."

The two of them braced themselves as crowds from the Ares and Athena cabins, as well as some of the other cabins, came rushing towards them. Two boys fought their way to the front of the crowd.

"Awesome! Dad and Erik didn't manage to kill you!" Nico said, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Annabeth, do you have that conch shell still?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, here," Annabeth said, handing it to him.

He looked at it for a moment before chucking it into the trees. "We're going to find a quieter way for you to call for help…."

Clarisse and Annabeth laughed as they made their way back into Camp.

* * *

_**LbN: Sorry it took me so long. It was a mixture of writer's block and life getting super busy. Hope you liked the chapter. Send reviews!**_


	9. Epilogue

_**LbN: Last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me!**_

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The Ares and Athena cabins were staring each other down. Annabeth and Clarisse walked into the clearing to greet them.

"Getting along well, I see," Annabeth mumbled with a smile.

"Yo! Knock that off, all of you!" Clarisse called. "We need to talk to you."

"What's the big idea, Clarisse?" Max yelled from the back of the group. Only 15 years old, he had fought his way into becoming team leader. Even though his older brothers and sisters were always trying to off him, they respected him. He was absolutely feared around Camp.

Even so, when Clarisse shot a glare his way, he (and the rest of the grumblers) clammed up. "Listen up. We're here to talk about an alliance between our two cabins."

There was another outcry at this. The glaring started again as well….

"Shut it!" Annabeth yelled. She smirked as they complied, even though they were still glaring at each other.

"Look, I know our cabins have had our differences in the past," Clarisse said, "but the fact is, the Athena cabin kids are the best at battle strategy…"

"And the Ares cabin has the best group of fighters at camp," Annabeth finished. "Imagine the complete and utter havoc you could wreak if you worked together."

"You're speaking from experience, right?" Max asked.

"You could definitely say that."

"I'm in," he said after a moment. He stood up and faced the cabins. "Who else?"

"Me too," Tzaddi, the captain of the Athena team said.

The two shook hands, and slowly but surely, the rest of the teams began to mill around and talk to each other.

"Come on. I don't think they need us to mediate now. Hopefully they won't do any lasting damage to one another," Clarisse said with a grin.

"Don't you have to be here for the battle?" Annabeth asked as they made their way to the camp's boarder.

"Not this time. Mr. D let me off of duty so I could take you today," she said, dangling the keys to Apollo's Saturn Sky in front of Annabeth.

"Let's go then!" Annabeth said, grabbing the keys and running toward the car.

Clarisse beat her to it, though, sliding in front of Annabeth and jumping in the driver's seat before the daughter of Athena could. "Cough up the keys," she said, grinning.

Annabeth stood there stubbornly for a minute.

"We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Annabeth rolled her eyes but gave Clarisse the keys. After hopping into the passenger seat, she said, "Apollo's going to kill you for getting dirt in his car."

Clarisse just laughed as they took off into the sky.

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"Hi Mom," Annabeth said quietly.

"Annabeth," Athena said smiling. "Come sit down. There's drinks." The goddess of wisdom laughed when she saw Annabeth's slightly panicked face. "Don't worry, it's hot chocolate. I heard through the grapevine, literally, that you had a bad experience with Olympian Tea—so I decided not to serve it."

"Thanks," Annabeth said, blushing. A bad experience was an understatement. The Dionysus cabin had thrown a party to welcome a British kid to Camp, and the effects were still wearing off of some parts of Camp Half Blood….

"I must say, taping juice boxes to Clarisse so that Erik would think she was bleeding when he stabbed her…that was a stroke of genius."

"Divinely inspired?"

"I wish I could take credit for that one," Athena chuckled. "But I think that was you. You've done wonderfully."

Annabeth blushed furiously. "Thanks Mom," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

* * *

The foosball game was only foosball in the sense that the poor souls drafted for it were connected by chains. It was really soccer that Ares and someone else could coach. With a flaming ball.

Clarisse was screaming at the goalie currently, but he missed anyway. "Oh for…" she grumbled.

"You know you can't beat your old man at his own game," Ares laughed. "All right, all of you, back to Tartarus!"

The souls on the board disappeared.

"So," he said, walking across the empty field. "You managed to beat him."

"I cut him in half," Clarisse said, quoting her favorite Buffy episode.

"I noticed," Ares chuckled. "Still got my credit card?"

"Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't ask," she said, taking it out of her pocket.

"Nice try. Get out of here, you've got a Capture the Flag game to supervise."

"Peace out, Dad." Laughing at his glare, she made her way out of the room, pausing only to dodge the throwing star he half-heartedly threw at her leg. With a grin, she went to find Annabeth. Maybe they could have a _normal _date now….

**_~Fin~_**

_**LbN: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! Send reviews please :)**_


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